Not Going Anywhere
by luciebell-writes
Summary: Natalie Taylor had assumed that everyone she'd known was dead a long time ago. However, when she eventually finds her childhood friend Daryl Dixon amongst the chaos, will their feelings have changed for one another now that they're both adults?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

 **Hello everyone!**

 **I've never written a walking dead fic which is bizarre since I love the show but after meeting Norman Reedus I became highly inspired to actually work on my idea of a Daryl x OC story.**

 **My OC is called Natalie and she's partially based off a good friend of mine - especially due to the childhood stories in the very first paragraph.**

 **This first chapter will just be an intro into the basic gist of Natalie and Daryl's background but Daryl will officially be around in chapter 2.**

 **Hopefully you guys like this, I'll try my best to make this fic a good one! :)**

* * *

Natalie Taylor had always been someone who knew exactly what she wanted from life. And how to get it. When she was 7 she had wanted a new bike and had resorted to holding her breath in order to get one. When she was 14 she had wanted a mobile phone so she had taken up smoking in an attempt to persuade her parents that the money she could have been spending on phone bills she was wasting on cigarettes. However, when she was 19, what she wanted most in the world was to get out of North Georgia and move abroad to study. Sadly, this wasn't something that her childish tactics could easily grant her. Instead, Natalie was forced to use her hidden intellect to eventually gain a scholarship to study at a university in London.

Normally, people would have been sad to leave their hometowns but Natalie wasn't too much of a sentimental person and didn't cry once. She kept her smile when she was packing her things and when her friends and neighbours gathered together on the street to wish her well. Nor did she shed a tear when her sobbing mother was clutching at her arm, begging for her to stay. No, Natalie never cried once although those around her did. Including her childhood friend Daryl Dixon – even if this was when he was alone, long after Natalie had caught her flight.

He was going to miss her more than anyone; they had grown up door to door and, although he was a few years her senior, they had always gotten along well. Sharing being something which they had especially revelled in. Frequently, they would share cigarettes on the Dixon roof and take shots on the Taylor porch, never once caring about what the rest of the neighbourhood thought of their reckless teenage shenanigans. It was just a phase, they would say, they'd both grow up sooner or later. But the two had sworn that they'd never let society change them, that they'd always be close.

However, Natalie got sucked in by the idea of having a real education. Of escaping.

She grew up; her heart was suddenly set on studying hard and travelling all over the world. She had realised that she did indeed want more from life. And when she received a scholarship to study in London, Daryl knew that his friend was gone, and in her place, some strange new entity.

The night before she left, knowing that Daryl had been avoiding her, Natalie climbed into his bedroom window and waited for him to arrive home. "We need to talk." She had said as soon as her friend had entered his bedroom to find her there.

"I don't wanna talk to you. You're ditchin' me." He muttered glumly.

"I ain't ditchin' you. Don't be a pussy."

"Well what would you call it? You're fuckin' off to some rich prick school in London, tossin' me aside for this new life you're so desperate to have." Daryl glared at her, taking a puff from his cigarette. He really wasn't in the mood to be having this conversation.

"Daryl, we ain't kids anymore. I'm 21 and I need more than all this." She sighed, starting to feel guilty. "I'll come home whenever I can. You're gonna need someone to drink whiskey with at midnight." Punching his arm playfully, Natalie grinned; although she was surprised when he remained unresponsive to the gesture. "Wow, you really are gonna miss me."

"Yeah, course I'm gonna miss you. 'Cause I know that, when you get on that plane, you ain't gonna come back the same person."

"You're being an ass now. You're just jealous 'cause I'm gettin' outta this shithole." She insisted with a frown. "Why can't you just be happy for me?"

"Oh, you want a pat on the back? Well done Natalie Taylor, findin' a life away from everyone who ever gave a damn about you. You say you ain't gonna let that place change you, but it will."

"You really—"

"Just go, Nat. I don't care anymore." Daryl swatted his hand, gesturing for his friend to leave.

Dejectedly, Natalie nodded and moved to swing one leg over the window ledge. "See ya later, then."

That was the last time Daryl would see Natalie for almost 13 years. Even after the end of the world hit.

Whenever she flew home for a visit, although this was only during summer and for Christmas, Daryl would make sure that he was out somewhere else – he didn't want to see the uptight, highly-educated woman that she'd become. He didn't want to accept the fact that his best friend had undergone a complete personality transformation. He knew that he wouldn't be able to take it.

After her studies had ended, Natalie chose to stay in England permanently. She didn't return home like she'd promised him. Her parents said she'd met some guy and they were living together; which sickened Daryl to his stomach. Natalie had sworn to him that she'd never settle down. That she'd never change. Ha, lying bitch. Everything had changed.

Year has passed before Daryl heard any word of Natalie. It was a less than a year before the outbreak that he remembered seeing Natalie's mother running out of the house to meet her husband, laughing and crying while exclaiming that her daughter was engaged. Natalie was getting married. And the bitterness only grew within Daryl.

Natalie – _his_ Natalie – was officially dead. Instead, he knew that there was some pretentious, wannabe businesswoman who was ready to marry and have kids. Again, something which she had sworn would never happen to her. But it had. Daryl didn't even know why he was so bothered anyway: she was just a girl.

But she was also his friend. His best friend in fact.

And the pain of losing their friendship didn't stop hurting until the end of civilisation began and stripped the world of any past heartaches. After all, survival had to be the main priority.

* * *

Just as the outbreak had begun, Natalie found herself in a taxi in Georgia with her fiancé, Anthony. She had reluctantly agreed to introduce her future husband to her family and friends so had been forced to make the effort to fly home. However, they sensed that something was odd when they arrived in Natalie's neighbourhood to find the streets empty; moreover, her parent's house was oddly quiet. "Maybe they've got out to the shops?" Anthony suggested, opening the door to the kitchen, his face dropping at the sight before him. "…Natalie…?"

She followed him through to the kitchen and was mortified; her legs gave way beneath her and she fell into a sobbing heap on the floor. "Mom…"

After she had cried, Natalie's sorrow turned into anger. "We're going to find out who did this." She said, standing up and heading for the door. "They could still be out there."

Anthony took her hand, "I'll go and look. You stay here and call for help."

Natalie nodded and knelt on the floor beside her mother. It saddened her that this was the first time she'd cried in front of her mother; she hadn't cried when she had left for England despite her mother's flooding tears yet, now it was too late, Natalie realised how much she had loved her despite always having wooden emotions when it came to family. Carefully she searched her mother's slim frame for the wound, confusion filling her mind when she saw what looked like a bite on her leg. Just then, she heard a slight groan and looked up, searching her mother's face for any signs of life. "Mom?"

The woman's eyes snapped open but instead of those loving brown ones Natalie had ones knew, there was nothing there. Instead lie this moaning figure that grabbed her arm tightly. "Mom? It's me…Natalie…"

Instead of flinging her arms around her and exclaiming her name with tearful joy, the woman's grip on Natalie tightened and she appeared to start bringing her arm towards her mouth.

"Mom..! Snap out of it!" Natalie cried, yanking her arm away and clambering to her feet, searching for an answer as to why her mother was…different, to say the least. The undead woman followed her daughter out of the room, still growling and groaning with outstretched arms.

Then a thought crossed Natalie's mind while in her panicked state. She recalled all the zombie movies she had watched with her friend Daryl and her siblings in the past, how they'd snarl and try to take a bite out of any living being. Then there was that bite on her mother's leg…

Natalie didn't even realise that she'd now been backed into a corner, closing her eyes in terror as her mother drew in closer.

Before the stranger could bite her, Anthony swung a shovel at his future mother-in-law's head, rendering her still once more. "Natalie, we have to go." He insisted breathlessly, hearing the faint sound of groaning from the top of the stairs.

Natalie couldn't even move. She just lie there under the lifeless body of her mother, still in tears. Then she looked to where the sound was coming from; there, just up the stairs, stood a group of monsters – the rest of the Taylor family. Squinting at the unfamiliar figures, tears formed in Natalie's eyes; her stepfather, her two sisters…and her youngest brother. In that instant, tears formed in the young woman's eyes and she fell into a sobbing heap on the floor. Everything was fucked up. Everything was fucked up and she didn't know why.

She hadn't even seen her family in two years…

She'd come home to a house of monsters with empty eyes and hollow shells. There was nothing left of her past life now.

Anthony began frantically grabbing food from the cupboards and stuffing it into a bag. "Natalie, get those bottles and fill them with water, quickly."

Numbly, she shuffled away from the staircase, hardly concerned for the rest of her undead family that began to descend down the stairs at an agonisingly slow pace. All Natalie could do was stand there helplessly while Anthony hurriedly prepared themselves for whatever lied ahead.

On their way out of the house, Natalie noticed a photograph of their family on the mantle. It had been taken years ago, when her youngest brother was just a baby and when Natalie had returned home for her first Christmas since moving away. She picked up the frame and stared closely at the faces of her family; although those happy faces had now been replaced with the decaying, desperate faces of the monsters she had faced. Those memories had been washed away the instant that her mother had opened her dead grey eyes.

Biting her lip, Natalie took the photo and headed out of the house, not even bothering to close the door behind her. After all, it wasn't home anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **Good evening/morning/afternoon to everyone reading this!**

 **Wow! I was so pleased with your reactions to the first chapter, even though it was slow. THANK YOU ALL!**

 **This chapter is basically in the present day, starting at ep 5 of season 2 (because I loved Hershel's farm ;_;) and because I don't want to drag this fic along, I'm going to cut to the point with Natalie and Daryl since this fic is all about them.**

 **Hopefully you all like this chapter! :)**

* * *

Daryl had spent hours searching for Sophia. He didn't even know why. It wasn't like he liked the kid – or kids in general – but here he was, searching the forest for the little girl who had been missing for a few days now. Personally, he didn't want to believe that she was dead, although that was seeming to be the truth. However, when his horse threw him suddenly, Daryl found himself lying at the bottom of a steep hillside, drifting into a state of confusion – he was almost delirious.

Natalie found herself roaming the forest with her gun in hand. It had been days – maybe even weeks – since she had been left alone to fend for herself and she hadn't encountered any living humans within that time period. It had just been Natalie, a gun and a forest full of walkers since Anthony had gone.

While it wasn't Anthony's fault for his premature departure, Natalie couldn't stop mentally pinning the blame on her fiancé: it had been his idea to follow the interstate. He had chosen to get out of the car to see if anyone needed help within the pile-up of vehicles. He hadn't been careful enough since that walker was able to grab him with ease. It was all Anthony's fault.

When she heard groaning further down the bank, her finger immediately touched the trigger as she slowly glanced over the edge; checking for any signs of walkers down at the bottom of the ridge. Instead she saw a figure lying there, clearly in a significant amount of pain.

Daryl felt a shadow move above him and drifted back into consciousness. It crouched over him and took his face. "Ain't nobody gonna care 'bout you except me, little brother. Ain't nobody ever will."

"Merle…" He groaned, wandering in and out of consciousness. Daryl felt his brother take his leg and it wasn't until he opened his eyes that the true nature of this contact came to light. Scrambling to his feet, Daryl broke into the first walker's skull with ease before ruthlessly pulling the arrow that had earlier pierced his leg out to use against the approaching walker. Then, when the area was clear, he collapsed again in the water – his breathing ragged and bleeding heavy.

"Hey, that was quite a show…!" A woman's voice shouted from the top of the ridge. But Daryl didn't care to respond; he just continued to catch his breath back as she scrambled down the hillside. "I don't know if you're actually real since I've been alone out here for days so please give me a sign that I've not lost my mind?"

"I'm real." Daryl grunted, still lying in the shallow water with a pained wince on his face. "You real?"

"Yes, I am." She moved closer to the man on the ground, examining his injuries carefully. It wasn't until she was standing directly over him that she realised. "Daryl? Daryl oh my goodness! I can't believe it's really you!"

Daryl squinted at her, barely able to make out the woman's silhouette; never mind work out who she was and how she was aware of his identity.

"It's me, Natalie." The woman carefully knelt down beside her childhood friend, growing increasingly concerned for his health.

When she got nearer, Daryl immediately found the motivation to move away; even if it put further strain on his whole body. "Now I know I'm seein' things. Damn college bitch."

"No it's me." Natalie frowned at what he said. "I can't believe you're still upset about that. Especially since you were almost bitten."

"Yeah, thanks to you."

"Me?!"

"Instead of watchin' you coulda come down here and helped me out."

"Well if you weren't so stupid as to venture out here alone then maybe you would've avoided that situation altogether." Natalie bit back, folding her arms against her chest like some silly child. The truth was, despite having become more refined, Natalie had held onto some of her quirks – one of them being the ability to hold her own in an argument.

"Then why're you alone, little miss perfect?"

Natalie frowned and bit her lip in order to suppress any tears – she couldn't let Daryl see her cry. "It's not by choice, I can assure you that much."

"Look I don't care." Daryl muttered as he climbed to his feet, his legs clearly having difficulty supporting him after the fall. "I'm heading back."

"I doubt that…" Natalie smirked at her old friend; watching as he attempted to climb back up the ridge – emphasis on the word attempted.

Of course Daryl was a fighter and continued to push through the pain whilst ignoring Natalie's judgemental eyes on him. Heck, he wasn't even 100% sure that she wasn't another illusion caused by the impact of the fall.

"Need any help?" Natalie asked, growing tired of watching Daryl struggling to climb back up. She walked over and took his arm then used her free arm to hoist herself upwards using a nearby branch.

Despite the struggle, Natalie eventually managed to climb to the top whilst assisting Daryl in the process. For a while, the two of them just laid in the grass, breathless and exhausted before Daryl forced himself to get to his feet and continue on.

"Oh, you're welcome…" Natalie sat up and rolled her eyes at his nerve; leaving a young woman alone in a forest full of walkers was inexcusable in her opinion – especially just after she'd practically saved him from further injury.

"You didn't do nothin'. I ain't no pussy, I coulda climbed up here by myself."

"You weren't doing such a decent job on your own from what I saw." Natalie sighed and climbed to her feet, squaring up to her old friend. "Listen, I think you could at least cut me some slack. I've been out here on my own for god knows how long and I'm still in one piece." She gestured to her body which was indeed still intact – no broken bones or bloody injuries. Or arrows in her leg. "Whereas you've been out here, what, a few hours? And you managed to fall down a ridge and give yourself a good piercing in the thigh – which will become seriously infected if you don't get it treated soon."

"Like I give a damn about some infection. I'll be fine just get the hell outta my face." Daryl pushed past her and headed back towards the farm; not bothering to look behind him in the event that she'd follow him.

Natalie didn't follow her friend. Well, not directly anyway. Since she'd been roaming the forest for many days now, it wasn't surprising that she'd developed a mental map of much of the area and so she did go in the same direction – just with a slight detour. After all, just because Daryl had told her to stay away didn't mean that she'd stop being concerned for his wellbeing; just to see him arrive wherever he was heading safely would've been enough.

Well, it was all going well until she saw him fall to the ground just in front of the farm. Accompanied by the sound of a gunshot.

Without even thinking, Natalie ran out towards him; believing her friend to be seriously hurt. She hardly noticed the three men who were also stood over Daryl in shock as she sprinted over shouting his name.

Daryl heard her calling him before falling into a state of unconsciousness. "Damn college bitch…" He muttered, almost willing to close his eyes after the impact – anything was better than talking to Natalie.

* * *

After Rick, Shane and Glenn had taken Daryl inside to be treated by Hershel, Natalie hadn't left the farm; she at least wanting to be sure that her friend would be okay. That and she really did want the chance to explain herself.

It just seemed bizarre that, after so many days alone in the forest, Natalie had been completely unaware that others were living so close – and in such safe conditions. A part of her wanted to be bold and request shelter on the farm, if only for a few days. But at the same time, she knew that getting to an airport as soon as possible was necessary; despite herself, Natalie wanted to believe that the virus was only present across America and, since all news broadcasting had ended shortly after the outbreak had begun, there was no reason to believe otherwise.

Rick had been carefully observing Natalie since she had helped them get Daryl back safely; she hadn't said much to anyone, nor had she accepted the offering of something to eat or drink. It was as if she had forgotten how to communicate during her time amidst the walkers. Deciding that it wouldn't be wise to trust this woman, despite her apparent connection to Daryl, Rick joined her outside to ask a few questions.

"Natalie, wasn't it?"

"That's right." She bit her lip, "will he be alright?"

"Daryl? Yeah, he'll be out there again in no time." Rick watched the way the young woman sighed with relief as a slight smile appeared on her face. "You know him don't you? How did that happen?"

"Oh, we were really good friends…a very long time ago, that is. We were neighbours in North Carolina but I hadn't seen him in years now." Natalie explained, still looking out onto the field; recalling how surprised she'd been to find him at the bottom of the ravine. "I found him in that forest completely by chance. To be honest, I'd not seen a living person for so long that I initially believed I was hallucinating."

"…You were alone out there?"

Natalie nodded, attempting to remember how many days had passed since Anthony's death. "I have been for…about 2 weeks. Maybe 3, I really have no idea."

Normally, Rick would have consulted the group before making such a decision but it was evident that this young woman meant no harm – and that she was alone in this. "You can stay here if you want. We sleep out here on the farm but it's better than out there on your own."

"I really wouldn't want to intrude…" Natalie smiled, relieved and grateful for the offer. "But it really would be appreciated. Thank you."

"All we ask is that you get rid of your weapon for now. Hershel doesn't approve of guns on the farm."

Nodding in understanding, Natalie handed her gun over and thanked Rick once more before he disappeared back inside the house.

However, she felt a pair of eyes on her and turned towards the fence to see one of the men from earlier watching her with an intense look. Although his name eluded her, Natalie recalled how he and Rick hadn't seemed on the best of terms so decided to avoid him for now.

Natalie gave him a look of her own before standing up from the porch and going into the house in search of Daryl. She heard his voice talking with Rick and an older man who she assumed to be Hershel, the owner of the farm, and instantly decided against approaching her childhood friend.

"I don't want you sendin' her in here."

"She's really worried about you Daryl." Natalie heard Rick say; which reassured her that she'd made a somewhat good first impression on the apparent authoritative figure within the group. "Look, I don't know what happened between you but if you just talked it out like civilised people then—"

Natalie smiled, Rick really was trying his best to be the voice of reason. She appreciated it, even.

"Rick, I ain't interested in what that bitch has to say. And you can tell her that from me."

With a sigh, Natalie walked away; not wanting to hang around the door, listening to Daryl's criticism of her, any longer.

Because it hurt.

She was able to accept the fact that she had left her friend alone with an abusive father and a brother that was hardly around because of that fact but to still hold bitterness towards Natalie when the world had gone to shit seemed too far. Natalie just wanted to forget about that – this was a new world and so, a new start had to come with that. Right?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Hey everyone!**

 **I'm sorry for the late update, I've not been so great at the moment so I've not really had the motivation to do much writing. However today I had the strong urge to finish this chapter, what with me walking out on school. Long story short, I can really relate to Natalie towards the end of this chapter.**

 **I absolutely love Dale though so I want him to have a good role for much of this fic; although I'm being careful to not turn Natalie into Andrea since they're two different characters in their own right and I like Andrea too much to take her significance with Dale away.**

 **Daryl will be more important in the next chapter, I just want to get Natalie's character across first before she and Daryl can reconcile. Basically, as you will probably be able to tell from the end of the chapter, she is a woman on the edge.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Throughout the night, Natalie hardly slept. Well, she'd barely slept at all since Anthony had died but this particular night was different. It wasn't Anthony's screams of pain or his cries as he died her arms. Nor was it due to the recurring memory of when Natalie had put a bullet into her fiancé's head after he had turned. Unlike the previous nights, it was Daryl who was the cause for her unrest.

Moreover, the fact that he had completely shunned her.

Feeling tears prick her eyes, Natalie decided to go for a walk around the farm to pass the time. She recalled how oddly familiar this simple life seemed; her lack of technology, nice clothes and money made this new life seem a lot like her childhood – her life before education. While Natalie had no regrets about moving away to become educated, she did regret how she'd handled her departure. After all, she'd hardly visited her family over the recent years – or Daryl – so maybe that made her a selfish person. Perhaps her aspiration to be in a better financial and educational situation had rendered Natalie blind to the importance of her relationships with those around her.

A sound from inside the barn in front of her brought Natalie away from her thoughts and she couldn't help but stare at the door as she attempted to work out what said sound was. Truth be told, Natalie was surprised to think that Hershel still had a barn full of healthy animals during an apocalypse. Deciding that she'd prove her worth by tending to the animals, Natalie began to remove the lock on the barn door.

"Don't open it..!" Someone hissed from behind. Natalie turned around to see a familiar face from earlier; she recognised him as the third guy who had been with Daryl when he was shot – Glenn, wasn't it? "You can't open the barn door."

"Why not?" Natalie asked suspiciously, her hand still resting on the wooden plank. "The animals might be hungry and I just want to help."

Glenn lowered his voice and took Natalie by the arm, "there aren't any animals in there…"

"Then what did I hear just now?" Natalie asked, puzzled by Glenn's secretive behaviour.

Knowing that this woman wasn't going to give in with the interrogation process, Glenn hung his head and knew that there was only one thing he could do. He just hoped that Natalie was better at keeping secrets than he was.

"There are walkers in the barn…"

"Excuse me?" Natalie smiled slightly, believing his words to be nothing more than fictitious – a joke, even.

"Hershel keeps walkers in the barn." Glenn repeated, waiting for Natalie's smile to be replaced by a look of mortification. Sure enough, it did.

"What the hell? Why would someone…does Hershel know the risks he's taking by keeping them in there?!"

"Keep your voice down – you can't tell anyone else about this, alright?"

"I can't let this lie; i-it's sick, Glenn..!" Natalie exclaimed, looking back at the barn; imagining the monsters that lurked inside.

"Is everything okay here?"

Glenn and Natalie spun around quickly to find Dale close by; it was apparent that he was aware of the tension, but unclear as to whether or not he knew the reason behind this.

"Everything is fine." She insisted whilst biting her lip.

Dale turned to Glenn, still convinced that he and the new member of their 'group' were hiding something. And of course Glenn caved in and told Dale everything – they were practically family after all.

"We can't let this continue," Dale insisted, turning from Glenn to Natalie, who nodded in agreement. "I think we should talk to Hershel. Perhaps we can get him to see sense."

Glenn, on the other hand, shook his head. He felt adamant that the two of them turn a blind eye to the barn. "No, please don't do that. Maggie told me in confidence and—"

"So, what do you want us to do? Go against every moral because your girlfriend told you her family's darkest secret?" Natalie folded her arms across her chest; making it evident that she was on Dale's level when it came to right and wrong. "No, I agree with Dale. I say we talk to Hershel."

* * *

Despite Glenn's protests, Dale and Natalie went to find Hershel; with the intention of talking to him regarding the walkers in the barn. Since Natalie had yet to make a companion within the group, she decided to try her best at talking to Dale – he seemed like a like-minded individual after all.

"Have you been with the group for long?" She asked, unsure how to make conversation with him; it had been a while since she'd engaged in what was regarded as a 'normal' conversation.

Even before the outbreak, all of the discussions which Natalie took part in were about wedding plans or her business or the latest gossip within the town. That was why being back home had been a shock to Natalie's system; she belonged to a whole other world now. Instead of whiskey, Natalie would drink champagne. Instead of spending her days outdoors, Natalie had spent them cooped up in her office. While she didn't initially believe Daryl when he insisted that her new life would change her, she was slowly coming to see the truth behind his words. Being back in America was almost like being in a whole other world. She'd left the role of his best friend to become a highly influential socialite, hiding behind money and a creaseless smile. Now Natalie realised the awful truth behind that façade she had become – and how the circumstances would ultimately prevent her from continuing her life as the successful business woman that she had become. The truth was, she had essentially left her home and ruined her relationships with those around her for a fraction of a dream.

"Miss Taylor? Are you alright?" Dale brought Natalie away from her deep thoughts and all she could do was pretend that she'd heard every word that had sounded so distant mere seconds ago.

"That's so interesting…" She mumbled, forcing a smile. "I can imagine that you're close to the people in this group?"

"Well, circumstances have forced us to be, whether or not we like it." Dale was tempted to warn Natalie of the few…unnerving characters still on the farm but he decided that the young woman was wise enough to figure that out on her own. "But I will say that you won't find a more loyal group."

Natalie smiled, "I gathered; you all seem very concerned about each other. Like with Daryl…" She stopped herself, knowing that if she began spilling her guts to this practical stranger, it would be almost impossible for her to stop. Dale didn't deserve to feel the full force of her ranting, nor did she want to open up to him.

However, Dale had already sensed that there was tension there. "You knew him well, didn't you? Before the world went to hell you were close…"

"It was a long time before all this." Natalie corrected him before quickly changing the subject. "Hershel's in the barn over there."

Hershel was tending to the horses when Dale and Natalie went over to him. She decided to let Dale take the reins; what with her being new on the farm and having rusty people skills.

They started by discussing the horse that Hershel was caring for before Dale mentioned the fields – and the barn.

"I'm sure you had your reasons for keeping this a secret…" Dale began, leading Hershel to describe the undead creatures as human beings.

As the two men shared a quickfire repartee style conversation, Natalie couldn't help but admire Dale's patience; as well as Hershel's persistence.

"My wife and stepson are in that barn. They're people."

Natalie noticed the tears that pricked Hershel's eyes and she felt the need to make a contribution. "I'm really sorry, Hershel but, well, you're isolated out here. You've been sheltered from the severity of it all and if you'd seen the things that we have, you wouldn't hesitate in clearing that barn."

She tried to get the truth out as gently as possible but Natalie was never good at reading people's emotions.

"That's my family in that barn. People, good people, who my family has been friends with for years are in there."

"We've all lost people we cared about." Natalie snapped back, the image of her family on the staircase lingering in the back of her mind. Not to mention Anthony in his final moments. "This virus has taken everything from me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hershel looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head. "But I can't allow your people to come here and ruin everything. I trust that you'll keep this to yourselves but if that's all you had to say, please excuse me."

"I'm sorry Dale." Natalie sighed as they headed back to the RV. "I have a habit of running my mouth about the wrong things."

"It wasn't your fault, Natalie." Dale insisted, "Hershel, he just sees the walkers as sick. He wasn't going to warm up to any idea we suggested."

"I suppose that you're right but…" Natalie looked towards the barn. "Doesn't it unnerve you to think that there are walkers in there? Everyone here thinks that we're safe but…"

"You can't tell anyone else about the walkers. Like Hershel said, some members of the group don't have a conscience to speak of."

Natalie shrugged, "I don't know your people so I'll believe you, even if I think we should talk to them about the situation."

"…You haven't talked to Daryl yet, have you?"

She chuckled to herself; Dale certainly was an expert at mind-reading. From what she'd seen so far, Natalie knew that she was going to grow fond of the man with the RV because he was honest with a strong moral compass – much like her in a way.

"No, of course not." Natalie lowered her head, fiddling with the engagement ring on her right hand. "He hates my guts."

"I'm sure that he doesn't. I think that if the two of you talked like adults, you'd realise how much you've missed on another. And how important it will be for you and him to reconcile."

Deciding to follow Dale's advice, Natalie found herself lingering outside Daryl's tent whilst pondering what to say to him. An apology seemed pointless yet a simple hello seemed too casual.

"I know you're there." Came a gruff voice from inside the tent. "D'you think I can't see you, pacin' up an' down like that?"

Taking that as an invitation, Natalie pulled back the flap and slipped into Daryl's tent, her eyes falling on the weak silhouette of a man that lay there. What really got to Natalie was that she remembered seeing her friend in such a state once before – after he had faced his father's drunken hand.

"What do you want? Daryl asked, glaring at her.

With a sigh, Natalie sat down beside him. "I want to talk to you. We can't go on like this, Daryl."

"I ain't interested. I don't need you."

"Well I need you." Natalie snapped back, clenching her fists. "I have lost everything and you're the only normal thing left."

Daryl thought for a moment; he knew that this meant her fiancé and her family were gone. So instead of making a snide comment, Daryl chose to hear his friend out.

"I know things will never be the same again but we were so close once. Surely you can trust me again?" Natalie nudged him playfully, desperate for a reaction. Instead, Daryl continued to lay there in silence. "I don't know what else I can say. Please just contemplate talking to me again. I can't lose you too, Daryl."

As Natalie dejectedly left his tent, Daryl wished he could've found the right words to say. Sure, he was still feeling angry and hurt because of what Natalie did but he could also see how miserable she was. And he would've been lying if he'd said that he hadn't missed Natalie too.

* * *

When Natalie headed out to find a vaguely familiar face, she noticed Shane and Dale engaging in what appeared to be a serious conversation. During her time on the Greene farm, Natalie had sensed that there was some kind of tension circling Shane and perhaps this talk had something to do with that.

"Dale, is everything alright?" She asked, both concerned and curious as to what had been said, not even approaching the situation with any tact. "Did he threaten you?"

"Don't worry Natalie. Just head to the RV and I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah Natalie, fuck off. This is nothin' to do with you." Shane sneered, squaring up to her.

However Natalie hated seeing that look of weakness in Dale's eyes – regardless of the short time that she'd known him. Besides, recent circumstances had made her angry beyond belief and the only way to relieve herself of some of this was to take it out on someone else.

Shaking her head, Natalie shoved Shane backwards. "What're you gonna do if I don't?"

He laughed at her efforts, "both of you don't mean shit to the group. You're just the guy with the RV and you…" He pointed at Natalie, getting dangerously close. "Nobody in this group trusts you. If you lay another hand on me again you'll regret it."

Instead of slapping him, Natalie swung her knee up to his stomach then pushed him to the ground. She had always been good at holding her own in an argument but even she knew that this particular dispute had gone too far. "You better not piss me off either. Because if I see you threatening Dale or anyone else here I will see to it that you don't get another chance."

Turning around, Natalie noticed that a few other people from Rick's group were now standing around, staring at her. Well, she couldn't exactly blame them – they were unaware of the reasons behind her actions – just that a strange woman, who had been on the farm for a few days, was starting fights with their own. Even if this was with Shane.

Then she saw Dale's expression. He was a man of strong morals so Natalie knew that he was going to disapprove of what she'd done, just like everyone else.

"Throw me out of here if you want. I really don't care anymore."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **So I made it to chapter 4; I'm actually amazed that my attention span has lasted this long tbh. But seriously though, I love Natalie - especially as Daryl's partner. I think they make a good team and more of their backstory will be explored soon.**

 **I can't remember the start of this chapter since I write in blocks but I think it directly continues from chapter 3. I'm sorry, I should probably know what I'm typing but this has been finished for days so I cannot remember for the life of me haha.**

 **Oooh I'm at London Film and Comic Con tomorrow so that's my first bit of good news for a while since the last few weeks have been crap. I'm hoping that being around a variety of communities will boost my spirits, as well as my inspiration so...fingers crossed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far, I hope this chapter is okay!**

* * *

Natalie had a tendency to have outbursts when under pressure; the whole of the group knew that now. But what they didn't know is that Natalie's ways of coping with her demons weren't as conventional as yoga, listening to relaxing music or even positive thinking…well, the current state of the world had made these methods all the more difficult to carry out anyway.

Rifling through her satchel, Natalie found her equivalent of a rainy day fund. She had been saving it for a day like this, so why not? Sitting by the fence in the farthest part of the farm, Natalie unscrewed the bottle top and took a long swig – the strong taste of the out of date whiskey burned the back of her throat, while causing a slight smile to appear on her face. Yes, overtime Natalie had learned to drown her sorrows in the bottom of a glass, bottle or anything else that had once contained an alcoholic beverage. And while Natalie wasn't an alcoholic, during her darkest moments her drinking became compulsive enough to place her under that category.

The sad thing was that, even in England, these old habits of Natalie's had found their way of resurfacing.

* * *

Daryl wanted a drink. As if the last few months hadn't been bad enough, Natalie had appeared out of nowhere, like a blast from the past, with the intention of resuming their friendship. Well, he'd be damned if he just allowed Natalie to pick up where they left off. It wasn't fair – she had abandoned him – yet here she was, acting as if it was the other way around.

Finding enough strength, Daryl threw on his vest and tattered pants before heading out of his tent for the first time that day.

"Daryl, can I talk to you?" Rick called as he approached steadily, his face seemed to be full of concern. "It's about your friend, Natalie."

"She ain't my problem." Daryl muttered as he slung his crossbow over his shoulder. "…What's she done?"

"She…she lashed out at Shane."

Daryl shrugged, "ain't he a danger anyway?"

"Yeah but the group doesn't see that. All they saw back there was a strange woman who _I_ brought back here, giving out threats and laying into Shane." Rick hesitated. "What I need to ask you is...would she ever endanger anyone else? Is Natalie a threat to the group?"

This was the perfect opportunity for Daryl to say yes. He could've nodded and watched as Natalie left the farm – it would have lifted his mood to see the back of his old friend, that much was certain. But that was also the problem: Natalie was his friend back then. And she still wanted to be.

So Daryl did something which surprised even him. He put Rick's mind at ease by denying the possibility that Natalie would turn out to be a danger.

"She ain't no threat, I swear." He exhaled deeply, knowing what had to be done. "I'll go talk to her. See if I can talk some sense into her."

* * *

When Daryl found Natalie, she was curled up by the fence with an empty bottle of whiskey in her lap. The sky had since grown dark so it was difficult to tell if she was awake or not, but when Daryl joined her on the grass she hardly stirred. He picked up the empty bottle: there wasn't even a drop left.

Daryl couldn't help but remember how he and Natalie would spend those hot summer nights sitting on her porch, downing bottles of whiskey until they could hardly stand. Then they'd spend the other days recovering from their hangovers with packets of cigarettes.

It wasn't a perfect life, no, but it was _their_ life.

"Damn college bitch…" Daryl murmured with the faintest of smiles. For the first time, he was starting to see why Natalie felt the need to get out; she was worth far more than cheap smokes and whiskey.

Moving closer to her, Daryl could smell the overpowering scent of whiskey and knew that he couldn't let the group see her (or smell her) because that would seal the certainty of her exile.

Instead, Daryl tried to lift Natalie to her feet, using his arm under her own in order to support her weight. However, she was too drunk to even stand, so the only way of executing such a plan was for Daryl to scoop Natalie up in his arms and carry her with him.

It was as if Natalie hadn't gained a single pound in over a decade; her dainty yet somewhat muscular exterior still felt light in his arms and it was as if she hadn't aged at all either – she was still a teenager – and his best friend.

When he reached the tent, Daryl carefully laid her down and placed her satchel beside her; noting how this must have been all she could carry. Opening the bag, Daryl found a pocket knife, a spare shirt and a tattered photo of the Taylor family. Upon seeing this, Daryl realised that Natalie must have gone to her home before venturing around Atlanta in the middle of an apocalypse – a thought which deeply saddened him. Either Natalie's family had already left by the time she reached them…or they had been dead upon her arrival. Despite himself, Daryl had a terrible feeling that the latter was more likely.

"Anthony…turn on the light…"

Daryl jumped when he heard his friend's drunken mumbles; her eyes were closed but she was definitely conscious. Natalie reached out a hand to him and Daryl noticed the expensive-looking ring that sat on her finger. He assumed that this Anthony had been her fiancé and since Natalie had yet to remove the ring, it was accurate to assume that he was dead too.

Natalie hadn't been lying when she said that she'd lost everything.

She continued to stir and tried to sit up but was far too bladdered to find the strength. Unsure of what else to do, Daryl held onto his friend's shoulders to steady her as she finally opened her eyes.

"Daryl…what…what are you…"

"Stay still, yeah?" Daryl grunted in a low voice; still extremely close to his friend. "What were you thinkin'? What if a walker came, huh?"

"I don't care…" Natalie groaned, her head pounding. "I ain't got nothin' left to live for."

In that moment, her blue eyes met Daryl's and all he could see was a deep sadness that had clearly been present for a while – even before the outbreak. She was giving up and it pained him to see a woman who had once been so strong resort to drinking whiskey until her body grew numb.

"Don't say that." Daryl replied without thinking, holding her tight. "You don't get to fuckin' say that."

She shook her head, her eyes tearing up. "Anthony's dead. My business is probably in ruins. My whole family turned…d'you wanna know the last conversation me and my mom had? We…we talked about kids. She thought I was gonna settle down and be a mom…how fuckin' stupid is that?"

Once again, Daryl didn't know how to handle the situation. He had never been one for physical contact – neither had Natalie for that matter – but he couldn't sit there while she was on the brink of tears.

"Don't go actin' like a pussy. C'mon Nat, just crack one smile."

Natalie frowned, the alcohol still very much present within her system. "What is there to smile about? The world has gone to shit and we're all gonna fuckin' die, Daryl." She stumbled desperately to her feet and stormed out of the tent. "No, no I'm already dead."

Without thinking, Daryl ran after Natalie and grabbed her by the wrist. "You can be a real fuckin' bitch, you know that?!"

"Leave me alone Daryl…" Natalie insisted, struggling against his grip. "I mean it, go away!"

"I ain't goin' nowhere." He insisted, still holding her tight. "You're wasted. If you go out there alone you'll get yourself killed."

Natalie continued to pull away; both the alcohol and her anger causing her to burn up.

"I can't let you go! Not after I finally found you after all these years." He sighed and loosed his grip on her arm; allowing Natalie to storm away. "It's like you said…you're the only normal thing left in this world for me too."

With those words, Natalie was rendered still. She didn't know what to say, nor did Daryl want her to say anything. For a few moments, the two old friends just stood there staring at one another as the sky grew dark.

Until Natalie ran back over to Daryl and threw her arms around him before smashing her lips to him in a clumsy kiss.

Even though Natalie's actions startled him, Daryl didn't shove her away. Instead, once he'd registered what was happening, he pulled her closer and kissed her back; tasting the strong whiskey in Natalie's mouth as he became almost drunk from their embrace.

However, when they eventually broke away from one another for air, Natalie couldn't stop shaking her head. "That…was a mistake."

"What?"

"We shouldn't have done that." Natalie ran a hand through her long black hair. "I'm sorry, Daryl. I…I guess I'm just drunk and stupid. Just forget anything happened, alright?"

"Fine by me." Daryl replied, trying to look as acceptable of this as possible. The truth was, he didn't understand what had gotten into Natalie – although he'd actually enjoyed their kiss.

"Good." She forced a smile as if to convince the two of them that everything was normal. "So, we're friends again, right?"

Daryl couldn't help but chuckle. The way Natalie had said that, regardless of her drunk state, had made her sound like a pathetic little girl after a minor argument with her school friend.

But he did want to be her ally once again.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Oh, Daryl Dixon you flatterer." Natalie pretended to be offended by his false I-don't-really-care attitude. But really, she didn't care so long as he was talking to her again. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? After I-I've slept the alcohol out of my system."

Daryl smirked and nodded, "'night."

* * *

When Daryl joined the group for breakfast the following morning, he was disappointed to find that Natalie wasn't there. Although it hardly surprised him. She was either still sobering up, or avoiding the group after her outburst at Shane. Or both, even.

He wished she was there so they could finally catch up on the years of each other's lives that they missed. However, it wasn't until Glenn revealed that the barn was full of walkers that Daryl realised Natalie's company would've been appreciated. Especially when Shane became furious.

"We can't do anything until I talk to Hershel. This is his land." Rick insisted, ensuring that Shane stayed away from the barn and its 'inhabitants' until further notice.

"Hershel sees those things in there as people." Dale interjected in an attempt to convince them that Hershel did have somewhat good intentions. "His wife and his stepson are in the barn."

"You knew?!" Rick raised his voice, surprised that Dale of all people would keep something like that from him.

"Yes, yesterday. Natalie and I tried to talk to him about the barn but…it was no use."

"And I bet Natalie had her say in this! She told you not to say anything didn't she?!" Shane shouted, still standing dangerously close to the infested barn. "Don't you all see? She's dangerous - fuckin' trouble - we need to get rid of her before someone gets hurt!"

"Natalie ain't a fuckin' risk!" Daryl yelled, defending Natalie after their reconciliation the previous night. "Y'all should cut her some slack; her family, and her fiancé, were bit! She was out there on her own for god-knows how long and kickin' her out now would kill her!"

Shane continued to glare at Daryl, clearly not feeling any sympathy for the dark-haired woman. "Well that ain't our problem, she's—"

" _She_ 's what?" Natalie appeared almost out of the blue behind the group. Dark circles were evident under her eyes and her expression was clearly one of irritation. "She's a bitch? She's going to kill us all? She's going to cheat on her husband with his best friend?" Natalie smirked and raised an eyebrow at Lori. "Sorry, that's something you'd do, isn't it?"

While Lori's face dropped, along with the rest of the group, Shane stepped forward and once again squared up to Natalie; who continued to stare straight at him with a look of complete contempt. "You better shut your mouth…"

"Oh, what're you gonna do…hit me? Hit me in front of all your 'friends'?" Natalie leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Go ahead. But if you even touch me, rest assured that you'll lose your fuckin' teeth."

"Shane, back off!" Rick ordered, unable to stand back and wait for him or Natalie to make the first violent move.

Daryl watched as an all-familiar darkness returned in Natalie's blue eyes; a side to her which he hadn't seen since they were teenagers. And, unlike the rest of the group, Daryl knew full well that Natalie's threat was real. She was more than capable of causing significant damage to Shane's face.

However, Daryl also recognised Natalie's familiar accent; her slang and her swears had returned following her drunken night. In a way, he was relieved – pleased, even.

Begrudgingly, Shane moved away from Natalie and stormed off before he did something to turn the group against him once and for all. They were already wavering in their trust for him after all.

Whereas, Rick was slowly recognising how useful Natalie could end up being to the group. He'd just have to test her loyalty first.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **Hello, I hope you're all doing well!**

 **This will be my last upload for a good week because I'm going to the coast for a week on Saturday evening and caravans still don't have wifi *cries***

 **I'm actually in awe at how many people have been reading this; honestly, even having a couple of readers amazes me. So thank you!**

 **This chapter does reveal quite a bit about Natalie and herself as a character. I personally think she's quite a strong woman so I hope that's how you've all been reading it too (and not that she's some whiny cow...even though she does complain a bit.)**

 **Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and review if you have the time! :)**

* * *

Following the unveiling of the walkers in the barn, tensions had been high within the group. Shane had managed to alienate himself from the group and many were struggling to come to terms with the truth about Sophia's whereabouts. Even Daryl.

Since the incident, Natalie had chosen to steer clear of Shane; knowing that they'd likely get into a scrap with one another. Although the feeling was currently mutual with several members of the group in regards to Shane following his actions.

Natalie also felt aloof from the entire situation; she'd never known Sophia, nor had she spent a single moment thinking of the missing girl, as bad as it sounded. Thus she decided to go for a walk in the forest while the others organised a memorial for the child.

That was where Natalie saw Carol sat in shaken silence amongst torn up plants.

She and Carol had never truly spoken before so, while Natalie knew that she couldn't leave the grieving mother alone, she just didn't know what to say.

"Hey, you're missing the memorial, you know…" Natalie said, kneeling down beside Carol, who barely paid her any regard.

"I'm not going." Carol mumbled solemnly, her eyes focused on the detached petals and leaves around her.

"How come?" Natalie had never been good at reading people – or at comforting them.

Carol snapped her head up, staring straight at Natalie. "My daughter died a long time ago. She was never in the barn…that corpse wasn't her."

To her surprise, Natalie found herself understanding what Carol meant: she was right.

But even so, she wondered what she'd have done if there had been a memorial service for the entire Taylor family. Would Natalie have attended after seeing her mother, step-father and younger siblings in their death-like states?

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about Sophia." Natalie blurted out without even thinking in an attempt to be sympathetic. "I mean, I didn't know her but I'm sure she was a good kid."

The woman beside her nodded tearfully; accepting that Natalie was trying her best to be sensitive. Even if it was evident that, like Daryl, compassion wasn't something which came easily to her.

"I had two sisters." Again, Natalie failed to think before she spoke. "Two younger sisters and a little brother. My mom was always out workin' for our next meal so I'd always feed them and bathe them and take 'em to the park. And it was nice. It was nice to feel like…I mattered to someone. Those kids thought I could walk on water, nobody else thought I'd ever amount to anythin' but my brother and sisters, they never gave up on me." She hung her head, "if I hadn't left them, they'd still be alive. Either that or…we'd be dead together. I don't know which would be worse but at least then I wouldn't be alone, you know?"

Carol watched the dark-haired woman carefully. She watched the way her facial expression didn't change, despite her words being so deep and personal. It was evident that, while she acted as if it didn't matter, Natalie had open wounds like the rest of them.

"My point is, you ain't alone. This group feels so much sadness for you and your little girl and they won't stop giving a damn about you. You should think about that the next time you wander off on your own…" Reluctantly, Natalie patted Carol's shoulder – she hoped it would serve as a gesture of comfort and condolence. Then she stood up, prepared to leave the practically one-sided situation.

Nodding, Carol's eyes moved back down to the ground; thoughtfully staring at the shredded plants around her as Natalie continued on through the forest. However she was stopped shortly by a large pair of hands that pulled her backwards.

Natalie felt her back being shoved against a nearby tree and when she opened her eyes, she was startled to see Shane glaring into her, his hands forcefully on her shoulders.

"I bet you're lovin' this, ain't you? I've been pushed aside and now you see it as an opportunity to push your way in." Shane slammed her against the tree again. "Speak up, bitch!"

"Get your hands off me!" Natalie shoved the taller man away but he tackled her to the ground, his hand over her mouth.

"Since you came here I've had nothin' but trouble. You and Dale are becoming real pains in my ass." He took out his gun and waved it in front of Natalie's face.

With Shane on top of her, Natalie's movements were restricted to say the least. She struggled against him but her limbs were trapped beneath him. However, that was when she remembered the switchblade she'd always kept in her pocket.

"What the hell do you want from me?!" Natalie shouted as soon as Shane moved his hand away from her mouth. "What do you want me to do? Turn back time and seal the barn up again? Because you've done this to yourself! Everyone hates you because you're a selfish, brutish piece of shit!"

"You know, I preferred the stuck-up princess act from before. At least then you didn't dare talk back to me. Like you even have a clue…" He got closer to her face, causing Natalie to shrink further back against the ground upon instinct. Shane was unpredictable at best and she had no idea whether he was just going to give her a verbal warning, hit her across the face or blow her head off with the gun in his hand. Her stepfather had always taught her to not be afraid of a gun but how could she not when it was being pointed dangerously close to her face.

"Shane, I mean it. Get off me now." Natalie muttered, her fingers grazing the knife. If he refused, she'd have no choice.

"I don't think so, not after what you've done. You've taken my respect from me!"

Natalie took that as her cue to act and she swiftly brought the blade up to stab Shane in the side; causing him to roll off of her, writhing in pain. While she hadn't stabbed deep enough to cause any life-threatening injury, Natalie had deliberately wounded him in a place that would be particularly painful.

Wasting no time, Natalie stumbled to her feet and kicked his gun away, still holding her knife. "I warned you..!" She shouted, kicking him once for good measure. "I fucking warned you!"

Shane began to chuckle as the blood trickled from his side. "You ain't getting away with this. Rick'll find out and you'll be thrown out of here for good. You—"

Shane's cruel words were cut short by the sound of a gunshot, which hit him straight in the chest. Looking up, Natalie saw Rick approach her with a serious look on his face. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean no harm…he—"

"I know." Was all Rick said as his eyes looked over the lifeless body of his once best friend, his lip trembling slightly. "The truth is, I had to do it. Shane wanted me dead, and he wanted you dead too by the look of things."

"Yeah, I guess so." Natalie hesitated but decided to directly ask Rick the all-important question. "What do we do now?"

"We don't do anything. You and I were never out here." Rick insisted, pointing his gun at Shane's head. "He'll come back if I don't…" He fought the mounting tears and guilt before pulling the trigger and collapsing on the ground in front of Natalie. "It was the only way…he made me…it was all him..!"

Nodding, Natalie crouched down beside Rick and furrowed her brow. "I won't tell anyone if you won't. This'll be a way for you to test my loyalty." She smiled slightly before slipping her knife back into her pocket. "Cmon, let's head back to the house."

Daryl watched as Natalie and Rick walked towards the house, seeming to be deep in conversation. He felt something deep inside of him twist in frustration – a feeling which he hadn't felt since Merle started hanging round Natalie back when she was an impressionable teenager. While he wouldn't have called it jealously, the thought of someone else growing close with his best friend wasn't easy to digest. Especially after their close exchange the night before.

It was essential for Daryl for things to return to the way they once were. He needed a close confidant as much as Natalie did, and her desire to branch out was the initial cause for their friendship's breakdown. When she left, it took months – years, even – for Daryl to forget about her. Natalie had been his only friend growing up and so it was only natural that she'd mean a lot to him in the end.

What would Merle have done in this situation? Well, he'd have either told Natalie exactly what was on his mind upfront, or he'd have just called her a bitch and walked away. At this point, Daryl didn't know how to approach Natalie or the situation. He wanted to be her friend, but without all the weakness that came with admitting such a thing.

"Hey, you." Daryl felt someone punch his arm and turned around to see Natalie there. She certainly did move fast.

"What do you want?" Daryl grunted, deciding not to go soft on his old friend all of a sudden. She was still in the wrong for abandoning him…wasn't she?

"Nothin' much." Natalie shrugged, also playing it cool. Both because of her stubbornness, as well as to avoid attracting any suspicion for what she and Rick had just done to the troublesome Shane. "We haven't really had time to, you know, catch up? Well, not sober anyway."

"What's there to catch up on?"

"Oh, I don't know; we weren't in different countries for over a decade or anything." Natalie rolled her eyes, clearly tiring of receiving the cold shoulder. "I'm just trying to be friendly…"

"Why in the hell do you think I wanna sit around listening to how fuckin' rosy your life was after ditchin' Carolina? You got an education, found a job then got engaged to some white-collar asshole."

Natalie's face grew shocked, almost disgusted by her old friend's bitterness. "…Wow. You make it sound so easy. As if leaving my whole life behind was simple!"

"Well you didn't care enough to come back regularly, did you?!"

"You are unbelievable!" Natalie shouted, pointing her index finger at him. "Do you want to know why I left? To stop myself from becoming a cold jerk like you!" She frowned and lowered her voice. "Or a meth-head like your brother…"

"What did you say? If you're gonna insult my family, at least speak up!"

"Fine." Natalie leaned forward. "Merle was a fuckin' addict; he was knee-deep in meth and crack and god knows what else. Thanks to him I got hooked on the shit and had to skip town before my heart gave out. There, are you happy now?!"

Daryl couldn't believe what he was hearing; while he'd always been certain of Merle's usage of such substances, he could've never imagined Natalie sinking so low. No, she couldn't have been a user – he'd have known.

"It was my own stupid fault. I was depressed and Merle asked if I wanted to join him…I should've said no but…" Natalie shrugged, smirking slightly. "You know how I loved to disobey my mom."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Daryl asked after Natalie's confession had sunk in.

"I didn't want you to be disappointed in me." She said, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. "I never cared if my mom or my stepdad were disgusted with my behaviour but if you couldn't bear to look at me…I dunno, I guess I just always felt closer to you than my own family." Natalie sat down in the grass and patted the spot next to her, indicating for her friend to join her.

Daryl smiled slightly as he sat down beside her. "Yeah, we were a kickass team."

"The very best." Natalie sighed and rested her head on Daryl's shoulder. "Why did we have to wait for the world to go to shit before we became friends again? Think of all the trouble we could've been getting' into right now…"

"I thought college girls like you didn't approve of playing the fuck-up."

"You can take me away from the shit, Daryl Dixon, but you can't take the shit out of me."

Daryl nudged her, unable to hide the smile that had shown itself. "I fuckin' missed you, Natalie. You damn college bitch."

"I missed you too, you fuckin' jerk." She let out a deep breath. "But you're stuck with me now. Whether you like it or not, I'm not goin' anywhere."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

 **Chapter 6 is finally here! Sorry about the 3 week wait.**

 **This is set directly after Hershel's farm becomes overrun with walkers *cries because the farm was perfect* and it's a very Natalie Daryl centred chapter - which I hope you'll all enjoy!**

* * *

"Natalie, get on!" Daryl ordered, pulling up beside her on his motorcycle.

Reluctantly, she did as she was told; although kept her gun in hand as they sped off into the night away from the chaos. "What about the others?"

"They'll be alright. We'll meet them somewhere down the line."

"Daryl, that farm is overrun with walkers. How the hell are they all gonna make it?!" Natalie raised her voice, holding tightly to her friend as they picked up speed. "A lot of your friends are gonna die, I'm telling you..!"

"Just shut up, would ya?" Daryl snapped, squinting at the darkened road ahead. "Jeez, have you always been this fuckin' negative?"

"Have you always been this fuckin' cold-hearted?" Natalie retorted, glancing back at the flames from the farm that could be seen rising above the trees. "We have to go back..!"

"They're alright." Daryl insisted as they continued to drive down the empty road. He had to at least try and remain somewhat positive to level out Natalie's irritating amount of negativity. "We'll find them in the mornin'."

"Can we at least stop to rest 'til morning?" Natalie asked as she observed the forests around them for a safe camping spot.

While he wanted to continue on, Daryl knew that sparking another argument with his friend wasn't worth the hassle or the migraine. Instead he decided to pull over in a seemingly quiet part of the forest so that they could take shifts on watch duty.

However, neither of them could sleep after the events that had recently transpired.

The farm had gone up in flames, overrun by hordes of walkers – and they had no idea whether the other members of the group were alive.

Although the two friends knew full well of Dale's death; Daryl in particular who had been forced to step up and put the kind man out of his misery.

"Do you believe in heaven, Daryl?" It came out of nowhere but Natalie just couldn't bring herself to get any rest. Her mind was full of unanswered questions and qualms.

"What kind of question is that? Why the hell do I care?"

"I was just wondering." She frowned, feeling her eyes sting a little. "Dale was a good man."

"Yeah, he was."

"You did the right thing; saving him from turning like that." Natalie sat up and brought her knees to her chest. "What I wouldn't give to hear one of his stories right now."

Despite the fact that Dale hadn't been gone long at all, the tragic truth had already sunk in Natalie's mind so the grief had hit her earlier than most. After all, Dale had been her only friend from the start while the vast majority of the group had held strong distrust for her.

In a way, he had been like the father she'd never had.

After a few minutes of silence, Natalie shuffled closer to Daryl who was now sat idly checking over his arrows; clearly not wanting to start conversation.

"Hey, this is kinda like the time we went camping, right?" Natalie chuckled at the memory. "We ditched home for 4 days and ate nothin' but berries and the candy bars I'd taken from home. Do you remember?" She nudged her friend in an attempt to get his attention. "Hm? Wasn't that a great weekend?"

"…Yeah."

Natalie frowned momentarily before forcing another smile. One of them had to attempt to keep spirits high and it looked like she was the only one up to the task. "Well, what about the time your dad caught us with his best whiskey? He was so pissed off; I thought he was gonna give us both a good slap…"

While Natalie laughed, Daryl's face didn't alter in the slightest. His friend hadn't witnessed what had happened when she ran home after all.

"Then when I got home my mom was so annoyed; I was grounded for a week but you know how easily she forgot about being mad."

"Yeah your family life was so shit…" Daryl muttered sarcastically, his frown bitter because of Natalie's obliviousness to his own situation growing up.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Daryl stood up, raising his voice despite the risk. "Come on, Nat you know what I mean! You hated your mom and she actually gave a damn about you and your health. You always complained about how shit life was at home but it was fuckin' great for you!"

Natalie also climbed to her feet, squaring up to her friend. "Well what was so terrible about your childhood?!"

"My fuckin' dad that's what! He'd piss away our savings on booze then his fists would do the talkin'! But of course your mom was so bad!"

After a minute or two in stunned silence, Natalie managed to find the right words but even then they didn't seem enough. "…I'm sorry."

"Just go to sleep, Nat." Daryl muttered, turning his back to her. He didn't need his friend's sympathy; he never had and he didn't plan to require it anytime soon either.

However, Natalie couldn't sleep. It wasn't just because she was bunking on the ground in the middle of a dark forest during a zombie apocalypse; although that was a large hindering factor which prevented her from getting a good night's sleep.

As she lay there with her back to Daryl, Natalie felt her eyes sting. She wished that she'd have known about Daryl's difficulties with his father growing up – maybe then she could've done something about it. Well, at least she could've tried.

It had always been evident that Will Dixon had been a vicious drunk; particularly made clear by the numerous times he had made a show of himself at neighbourhood gatherings. Natalie recalled how her stepdad had gotten into several fights with her best friend's father and had even banned her from going over to the Dixon house for a period of time as a precaution. So of course Natalie was aware of his violent streak – but not that he could be capable of harming his son. Maybe Merle had also come face to face with his dad's fists in the past and that was why he was dead set on drinking, smoking and taking drugs for many of his waking hours. Perhaps it was a coping mechanism: a way to numb the pain.

Regardless, Natalie knew that she could've never understand what the Dixon brothers had gone through growing up, even if she desperately wanted to.

* * *

"Hey, get up. Nat, I ain't gonna tell you again, we're goin'."

Natalie woke up to the sound of her friend's orders and immediately got to her feet; scrambling around for her jacket in the process. "We're going now? It's barely light out…"

"We've wasted too much time already."

It didn't take long for Natalie to realise that the lack of sleep had taken its toll on Daryl and frankly, while she had gotten used to this hostile side to him, it still unnerved her slightly.

"Daryl, you need to rest." Natalie insisted as she picked up her gun. "We need to have a drink and a wash before we venture back out there. There's a river nearby, we can stop for a moment."

"In the middle of all this shit you're still bothered about whether you smell like a horse's ass?" Daryl sighed and eventually gave in to her; although he sat back and waited impatiently when they reached the lake so that Natalie could do whatever she needed without any walker interruptions.

"Hey, Daryl?" Natalie called to him from the riverbank as she stepped into the water.

"What is it?" Daryl turned around to glance at Natalie but instantly averted his eyes; while he had seen Natalie in minimal clothing during their teenage years, he found it difficult to look at her in a bra and underwear now that she was an adult. He didn't know why but it just didn't seem right.

"You're not coming in? The water's a bit cold but it's kinda refreshing."

"I'll pass." He mumbled, staring off into the forest in the event of an intrusion.

"Suit yourself." Natalie laughed and bent down to splash some water on her face. "Enjoy smelling like the rear end of a horse."

After a while however, Natalie grew tired of watching her friend observing their surroundings intently while never once paying her so much as a glance. "Aw c'mon Daryl. Don't be so fuckin' childish."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"You won't look at me, why is that?" She frowned and folded her arms across her chest, stepping out of the river and marching over to her friend. With a soft hand, she grabbed Daryl's chin and forced him to meet her eyes. "I'm your friend. Even if you catch a glimpse of my bra that won't change. Now get in that river, while I keep watch."

Reluctantly, Daryl stood up and removed his vest before heading to the riverbank; leaving Natalie to keep a look-out. As he begrudgingly washed, Natalie couldn't help but allow her eyes to wander over her old friend's body – particularly his back which was covered in scars. Why hadn't she noticed those before?

Natalie thought back to their conversation about Will Dixon and it didn't take her long to realise that he had caused the vicious wounds.

Feeling saddened, Natalie walked over to Daryl and touched his shoulder gently. "Do they hurt?"

"No, of course not." Daryl replied sharply, immediately aware as to what his friend was referring to.

"I'm sorry…"

"What've you got to be sorry for? It ain't like you coulda done somethin'."

"If I see your dad again I'll fucking kill him." She looked Daryl directly in the eye with a look of pure seriousness. "Why did he do that to you? How could someone do that to their own child?"

"It's no big deal."

However, Natalie regarded the issue as quite the opposite. Her face grew sickened at the thought and her voice raised slightly. "It is a big deal. That bastard hurt you! He abused you and I had no idea because I'm so self-absorbed that I didn't even realise what was going on right next door!"

Daryl grabbed Natalie by the shoulders to calm her down. "I told you, just leave it. They don't even hurt."

It was then that the two friends realised how close they were to one another; Daryl had brought Natalie just inches away from his chest and she felt her heart race at the notion – remembering their kiss from before and fearing that the same thing could happen again if he didn't let her go. Besides, they were just friends and neither of them wanted any more than that…right?

Again, Natalie anxiously met Daryl's stare and he released her quickly; deciding to brush off the incident as insignificant. "We should head to the freeway now."

"Okay, I'll get our stuff together while you finish off washing off that smell." Natalie punched Daryl playfully in the arm to assert their status as friends before heading towards the clearing to pick up her gun.

It was only then that she heard the sound of screeching tyres nearby and decided to investigate; leaving Daryl alone momentarily. The noise was followed by a few gunshots and a group of men talking loudly which caused Natalie to turn on her heels in order to avoid a confrontation.

However she was stopped in her tracks by a tall man before her.

"Well what're you doing out here on your own?"

"I'm not on my own." Natalie frowned, attempting to push past him. "Excuse me."

The man waved his men over and they grabbed her by the arms as the dark-haired man who seemed to be in charge bent forward slightly to speak at her height in either a reassuring manner or one of intimidation. Natalie decided that it had to have been for the latter – after all, he seemed like the manipulative sort.

"We come from a town...it's safe and there are people there. I can take you there right now."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Is this wonderful town just part of an acid trip? Because I know for a fact that there are walkers all over the goddamn country."

He chuckled, clearly finding Natalie's mannerisms amusing. "No, I assure you it's real."

"Thanks for the offer but I'm already headed somewhere."

"Oh, this isn't an offer…"

* * *

Daryl threw on his vest and turned back to where he'd dumped their things; surprised to find that Natalie wasn't there. He called out to her and waited for 20 minutes before growing tired and deciding to search for her himself.

"Nat, if this is your idea of a game I ain't havin' fun." Daryl shouted into the empty space around him; his frustrated voice echoing through the trees. However it didn't take long for this frustration to turn into concern when he found an all-too familiar engagement ring lying in the shrubs. It had to be Natalie's, that much Daryl was certain.

But what was it doing on the ground? Moreover, where was Natalie?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

 **Welcome readers new and old! I have finally gotten to chapter 7!**

 **Sorry it's been ages since I updated this; I've been mega busy and ill since school started up so I've hardly had the time to write anything that isn't an essay. It's also my 18th birthday this week so I doubt I'll be updating again this week. Sorry about that.**

 **I also apologise if me changing my username on here caused any confusion; I just wanted it to be more relevant to me. And I also didn't like how long my old one was.**

 **If you can't remember what happened in the last chapter (as I haven't updated in forever) Natalie was taken by a man whose identity will be revealed shortly - if you haven't already guessed. This chapter aligns with the second half of episode 2x13 so literally straight after the last chapter.**

 **I'm keen to start this story arc as I feel it'll be very interesting to include some more important characters from the tv series. Also, I really wish they hadn't killed off Merle so early in the show - that may become apparent as this story continues.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading so far and I hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

"What's your name?"

Natalie smirked, keeping her lips pursed together. They hadn't let her say a word during the journey, having taped her mouth shut so now she planned to be equally uncooperative.

The tall man from before chuckled and leaned back in his chair, indicating for one of his gun-wielding lackeys to lock the door. "We can sit here all day if you prefer."

Instead of giving in, Natalie had decided to show her kidnappers how much she hadn't appreciate their so-called gesture of goodwill – by behaving as difficult as possible. If they wanted her to talk, she wouldn't say a word but if they asked her to stay quiet, well, she'd scream the place down.

"When I found you, you said that you weren't alone. Who were you with?"

Natalie still refused to give in.

"Fine, have it your way." Growing tired of hearing his own voice, the man in charge of the operation stood up and left the room, locking it again behind him.

It must have been 2 hours before Natalie heard voices outside the office. She'd paced the room to pass the time, then had begun practicing push-ups and squats as a way to burn the frustration and anger she was feeling – and the urge to dropkick the next person who entered the room.

She stopped mid-workout and moved to the door, listening to the muffled voices outside. One was definitely the man from before but the second voice was also vaguely familiar but she just couldn't put her finger on his identity.

Natalie moved back to her push-ups while she waited for any visitors and they eventually did enter the room. She ignored them of course; continuing with her apocalypse ab training while the two men looked on.

"Where'd you pick her up?"

"The forest, Merle. But like I said we've gotten nothing out of her."

 _Merle…Merle, no fucking way. Merle Dixon._

With that small hint, it took Natalie mere seconds to recall where she'd heard that voice before. She was definitely surprised to find Merle in a place like that while his brother assumed him to be dead. However, it would be difficult explaining that to him when she was on a voice strike.

Merle leaned down beside where Natalie was enhancing her physical abilities, evidently as an intimidation tactic, and watched her closely. He loosely remembered her face but it was difficult to retrieve the name when said female refused to look at either of the men.

Truthfully, Natalie did want to talk to Merle and if it hadn't been for the other man in the room, she would've done so in a heartbeat. So instead, she was forced to wait in silence for her best friend's brother to realise who she was.

"Hey doll, you gonna speak up or am I gonna have to force ya?"

 _Yeah, he's Merle alright..._ Natalie rolled her eyes at her old neighbour's unchanging way of communicating with the female race.

It was probably this roughness that attracted to him in the first place. In her younger years, Natalie simply saw Merle as her best friend's older brother; hidden behind a wooden door and a cloud of smoke. However, following another one of his releases from a juvenile facility, Natalie and Merle started talking and she had grown somewhat infatuated with him in her teenage years. Merle had that bad boy factor that most highschool girls swooned over – while being significantly older than her to make a relationship between them cause a complete stir within the community. Then of course there was Daryl.

From the start, Natalie knew that her best friend would hate the idea of her fucking his brother which was why her crush and later, their relationship, had been a complete secret.

 _"Hey, Merle." Natalie had called from her porch, watching as Merle headed past on his home. Following her greeting, the older Dixon brother had walked up her garden path with that typically smug grin on his face. "My mom ain't home, you can come on the porch, y'know."_

 _Chuckling, Merle joined Natalie on the porch and sat beside her on the bench. He hasn't been able to go within 5ft of his neighbour following the bad reputation he'd gained over the past decade so was thrilled to have him with her on the porch. Her mother had told her to steer clear of the town juvenile offender but Natalie had rarely followed her orders; hence why she had invited him over without a second thought._

 _Merle took out a small bag containing white crystals which Natalie recognised instantly as crystal meth. She and Daryl often smoked together but never an illegal substance; she had never pictured herself doing drugs but the way Merle took a deep drag made her feel crazy. "What? You wanna try?" He asked her with an amused smirk._

 _Natalie nodded without thinking and took a breath, feeling pleased when Merle moved closer to her. "I bet your mom would hate this."_

 _"Screw her…" Natalie grinned and inhaled more of the drug into her system, blowing the smoke out onto the porch. She felt Merle's hand on her thigh and leaned into him; feeling high from both the drug and the fact that the guy she'd liked for a while was paying attention to her. "Wanna see my room?" Natalie whispered in his ear, a whole new type of courage taking over her._

 _And of course Merle didn't refuse._

"No fuckin' way." Merle laughed out loud, causing Natalie to stop and stand up. "Natalie fuckin' Taylor, is that you?"

Despite the fact that the man who had taken her was still in the room, she nodded with a half-hearted smirk. "Surprise…"

Merle got to his feet and patted her hard on the back. "It's been years, I thought you'd ditched town for some English college. Where you been at?"

"I came back just before all this happened." For the first time since he'd entered the room, Natalie took a good look at her old neighbour. He had to have been in his early fifties now but had still retained some of his youth; Natalie would've been lying if she'd have denied still having a desire for him. Then her eyes moved downwards to where a knife attached to a stump had replaced his right hand.

She must have stared for too long as Merle started to chuckle again. "Had to cut it off. Looks good, don't it?"

"So, Natalie Taylor, it's good to finally meet you." The man in charge stepped forward with a satisfied smile on his face.

Natalie, however, still frowned when he started talking. "What's your name then?"

"I'm the Governor." He introduced, leading her out of the office and into the first splash of daylight she'd seen in what felt like days. "Welcome to Woodbury."

Looking around her, Natalie saw houses and neatly-trimmed trees and people. Actual, living people freely wandered the streets.

"This is…unreal." Natalie whispered, taking in the sight of true civilisation; it was almost as if the whole apocalypse had been a terrible nightmare, and this new town was her reality. It was a good feeling, to feel completely safe. Of course Natalie missed Daryl and whatever was left of their group but, for the time being, she knew a few day's rest would do her the world of good.

* * *

Daryl pulled up to the freeway on his bike, after spending several hours searching the forest and the surrounding area for his friend. He slowed down and saw the familiar faces from their group: Rick, Glenn, Carol – they were all there. Except for Natalie.

A part of him had hoped that Natalie would have headed north to the freeway, and that she'd be sat on the hood of one of the abandoned cars with a smug smirk on her face; she'd be laughing at him for worrying and her long black hair would be all over her face in complete disarray. But she wasn't.

"Have you seen Natalie?" Daryl asked them, trying to act calm while he did so.

"Wasn't she with you?" Glenn asked as the group fell silent at the question as it was obvious what it meant: Natalie was dead. If Daryl hadn't seen her, nobody could have.

"Yeah." Daryl hesitated telling the group the truth, it sounded so ridiculous after all. "I lost her back there." He took out her engagement ring and squeezed it in his palm. "I don't know what happened."

"Has anyone seen Shane?" Lori asked, as if Natalie was the lesser being. Truth be told, that woman had always unnerved her so being rid of her seemed like a blessing more than a curse.

However, some members of the group were actually saddened to lose her – particularly Glenn and Rick; although this meant that his secret of what happened to Shane had gone with her. Even if it was apparent that Natalie hadn't even contemplated telling the group the truth.

That night, the group camped out under the stars in the middle of the forest. Nobody got any sleep, their minds still back at the farm and what was left of it.

Daryl, on the other hand, had already forgotten about the farm. Instead, he was too focused on Natalie. What had happened to her? He hadn't heard her scream or swear so how could a walker have bitten her? There was no blood, nor was her body anywhere to be found so none of it added up. All that Daryl could do was hope that it had been painless. Either that or she'd found a safe place and was planning to head back to find him in the morning – although that was definitely a case of wishful thinking.

* * *

Natalie gasped as the cold water from the shower ran over her body, cleaning her skin of days of grime and sin. For the first time since the apocalypse had begun she felt truly clean; she wasn't taking a quick shower before heading back out into nature – she was going to stay clean. Perhaps Natalie would be able to take a walk through the street like she used to be able to do. No gun, no knife.

While she felt safer than she had done in a long time, her living arrangements did somewhat alarm her; sharing an apartment with the man who took her seemed disturbing at best. But at least he hadn't killed her.

Concealing her body in a towel, Natalie glanced at herself in the mirror for the first time in what felt like forever. During her time amidst nature and walkers, Natalie had started to forget what she looked like – who she once was. It was evident that she'd lost weight since the apocalypse had begun and that her hair had grown really long. In England, she had always worn her hair in a strict bun, along with a grey suit and black heeled shoes: the picture of the typical businesswoman.

But being back in Atlanta had turned that image on its head; instead she was the same scruffy teenage girl she had once been – just with excess bags under her eyes and no alcohol in her system.

Opening the bathroom door, Natalie headed into the front room in search of some clothes; having heard the Governor say he was going to wash her old jeans and tank top. She smiled when she found that a cute dress had been hung over a chair; clearly with her in mind. However such items of clothing had never caught her eye and, instead, Natalie picked up one of her landlord's shirts and used that to conceal herself with for the time being. It was long enough to cover her whole body so she buttoned it up and sat on the sofa, still convinced that everything around her was part of a false reality.

When he returned, the Governor was surprised to find that Natalie had made herself at home; she had clearly raided his cupboard of alcohol and was sitting stretched out on the sofa with a bottle of vodka in her hands. And his shirt over her body.

"Is there a problem?" Natalie asked with a tipsy smirk. "I always used to drink vodka in the afternoon."

The Governor sat down on the edge of the sofa, glancing at the dress he'd left for her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh come on. That dress is hardly practical for the middle of the apocalypse…"

"Well what would you prefer to wear?"

"Jeans. And anything that shows how toned my abs are." She laughed, her voice slurred slightly thanks to the strong vodka she was gulping down like it was water.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." He did his best to smile in a comforting manner. "Natalie…what's—"

Natalie stood up quickly, interrupting him as she was desperate to reveal as little about herself as possible. The vodka was just an excuse to give her a reason to go to sleep; thus avoiding the man completely. "Do you have any cigarettes?"

He didn't answer.

"Why are you lookin' at me?" She gave him a wary look before chuckling as she swayed on her feet. "I bet you wish you'd have left me, dontcha? You shoulda left me with Daryl where I fuckin' wanted to be!" While Natalie wasn't always so rude and dependent on nicotine, she was playing on her negative characteristics in order to get a reaction from the man who had taken her. She had to test him in case he posed a real danger or not.

"I had to save you. You were in danger." The Governor tried to explain calmly while Natalie continued to drink straight from the bottle. Honestly, from a woman of her age he'd expected a bit more refinery but at least she'd proven naturally human.

"I didn't need your fuckin' help. I wasn't in no fuckin' danger." She hissed, finishing off the bottle. "I wasn't alone."

"You clearly do need help if your idea of normal is afternoon drinking." He replied, steadying Natalie as she grew shaky on her feet. "Natalie…I want to take care of you."

"I don't need your charity or your hospitality." Natalie brushed his hands away from her shoulders, taking a few clumsy steps towards the door. "I'll be headin' back now, thanks."

The Governor chuckled. "There's no leaving Woodbury, Natalie. We have really big walls…they keep walkers out and my people in."

"You can't keep me here. There's no way that you can watch every inch of this town all at once." She grinned drunkenly. "I'm good at disappearing. This place will be no exception."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

 **Hi everyone! Firstly I owe you all an apology for not updating this in like 6 months. I don't know how this story slipped my mind but I've been writing for Gotham a lot lately, both on here and over on my tumblr, so that's one of the reasons why it's taken me a whileto get back to this fic. But rest assured my inspiration returned after I went to Walker Stalker Con with my mum and rewatched the entire series with my sister, who is new to the fandom but is loving it. So in short, I don't intend to leave this unfinished.**

 **I've got my A-level exams coming up shortly but I will try to update as frequently as I can.**

 **Thanks for reading so far, and hello to all new readers! :)**

* * *

"I fucking hate this place…" Natalie muttered to herself through gritted teeth as she stared at the wall that kept her trapped, right where the Governor wanted her. She hated being stripped of all control and if it wasn't for the fact that security was tight in the town, Natalie wouldn't have shied away from the chance to make an attempt on scaling the wall and running back to Daryl.

"It ain't so bad, Natalie…" Merle had snuck up on his old neighbour and was now glancing her over with a cool smirk. "You got me right?" He chuckled, hoping to evoke the same amusement within her. It didn't work, nor did her intense eyes stray away from their focus on the wall.

"If you distract that big guy with the gun then I can make a run for it." It sounded crazy yes but Natalie was about to try anything to ensure that she saw Daryl and the rest of their group again. She just hated how it'd taken her so long to realise that being part of Rick's group had been a blessing.

"Why in the hell would I wanna do that?" Merle laughed at Natalie like she'd told him the funniest joke he'd heard in a long while, before his hand playfully cupped her ass. "You haven't changed one bit; still a stubborn little thing. Nice ass too."

Natalie's brows became tightly knitted together upon the feeling of Merle's hand on her rear and she spun around to face him directly with a stern expression. "I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you. Keep your hands to yourself."

"You never said that when you were a trouble causin' schoolgirl. Always walkin' by me in those tight jeans; you were practically beggin' for the attention back then."

"Well I'm not in high school anymore." Natalie's smile was thin and forced; she knew fully well how wayward she'd been during her teenage years and it almost sickened her to think back to those days, back when she was fixated with Merle Dixon; so desperate for him to like her that she was willing to do almost anything. It almost ruined her life yet she got what she wanted. That was why Natalie could barely look at Merle without frowning – he reminded her too much of the person she was before her ambition took over – the ill and desperate girl she could've become.

Merle chuckled at her bluntness; obviously ignorant to how much Natalie hated reminiscing about the past. Instead he leaned in closer to her, his hot breath on her skin as she tried to block him out. "C'mon doll, it's not like you've got much choice." His arm slipped around her waist and she squirmed, although she didn't want to make it obvious that the contact was making her feel uncomfortable.

"Merle, you're needed for the supply run." A stern voice suddenly caught their attention and Merle instinctively stepped away from Natalie. She turned around, frowning bitterly when she met the Governor's stare. As for Merle, he simply grinned casually as though nothing had transpired before walking away to carry out his task.

"I hope he wasn't bothering you, Natalie." The Governor said, his voice as smooth as ever; almost attempting to lure her into a false sense of security. Although she despised him with every bone in her body, Natalie had to admit that Woodbury's leader was incredibly charismatic.

"Nope." She replied sharply, before turning to push past him. Yet grabbed hold of her arm, apparently keen to talk. "What."

The Governor recognised the look of fury in Natalie's eyes and released her from his grip; deciding that she was likely to be even less receptive if forced to pay attention. "Merle tells me that you and he were once…involved."

Natalie let out a short laugh at that. "Of course he did. He thinks with his dick instead of his brain, always has done."

"Was your relationship serious?"

She threw him a wary look, raising an eyebrow. "Why the hell do you care?" When there was no reply, Natalie groaned. "No, it wasn't. I was a messed up kid; I just wanted to freak my mom out."

He nodded in understanding, but still remained silent; a pensive expression on his relatively stern face.

"Is this interrogation session over now, your majesty?" Natalie glanced to the side, desperate to get away from the Governor for the rest of the day – before she'd be forced to join him in his apartment for the evening. While he'd never forced himself on her, Natalie had a strong feeling that her 'housemate' wouldn't have said no if she'd have thrown herself at him. But of course that wasn't about to happen anytime soon. Or ever. So instead, they'd eat together and engage in forced conversation before Woodbury's leader would finally retire to his bedroom; always inviting Natalie to join him, yet she had always refused, sticking to the sofa instead. It was only in night's cloak of darkness that she was truly rid of him after all.

* * *

"What's your opinion on children, Natalie?" The Governor asked, looking over to Natalie who glanced up from her book briefly with a disinterested expression.

She shrugged, not wanting to think of her younger siblings because she didn't want to demonstrate any humanity in front of her essential kidnapper. "They're okay, I guess." His question had left her with an uncomfortable feeling. "Penny was your daughter right?"

He hardly blinked, his eyes bore into Natalie in an almost predatory manner. "Have you been through my desk drawers?"

"Yeah, I have." Natalie smirked carelessly. "It's not like I have anything else to do when you and the braindead flock out there go to cheer on those twisted fights."

"I really don't appreciate your attitude, you know."

"Yeah well I don't appreciate being kidnapped and held against my will." She glanced in his direction, before turning her attention back to her book. "So I guess we're both unhappy now."

The Governor furrowed his brow at her comment and although her typically brazen remark frustrated him deeply, he chose to refrain from raising his voice; instead exhaling deeply as he'd recently mastered because of the woman's constant unreceptiveness towards him.

"For the final time, Natalie." He groaned, almost growing tired of having the same conversation with her almost every evening. "I didn't kidnap you. I _saved_ you."

"You can't save someone who doesn't need to be fucking saved." Natalie bit back, setting down her book to meet his tired eyes with a hostile glare. "Sure, this place is safer than those fucking woods. But I'm not fucking free, am I?"

She smirked when he winced slightly at her choice of words; deliberately throwing in a few obscenities since she'd learned how much he detested her swearing. It really did delight Natalie to know that she was capable of getting under his skin with the mere use of a few F-bombs. In fact, eliciting such a reaction was gradually becoming a form of entertainment for her.

"I've offered to give you anything you want. Can you honestly say that your life would be better if I'd have left you to die out there?" The Governor asked, standing from the chair in an attempt to use his height to intimidate her; he'd never want to cause Natalie any harm but he often thought that things would be a lot easier if she was at least a little afraid of him. "You're an ungrateful bitch."

"You want me to be grateful? Then let me leave; I feel like a fucking prisoner. In fact, convicts probably get more freedom than I do!" She hissed, straightening her posture as though to emphasise the fact that she wasn't scared. However, when the Governor slammed his fist on the table, Natalie did jump a little; watching him carefully as he moved around the table to stand over her. "What do you want me to do, suddenly develop Stockholm syndrome and go weak at the knees?" A mocking laugh escaped her lips and she stood up to leave. "Going for a walk. Don't wait up."

However, Natalie didn't expect him to just let her leave without a word. She thought that he would've at least tried to keep her inside; perhaps trying to argue further or bribing her with more whiskey and cigarettes. But the leader of Woodbury hadn't taken any action whatsoever. And it was then that she realised that she really did have the upper hand against him.

As Natalie walked the street, her mind racing with thoughts of escapism, she couldn't ignore the inevitable. Sooner or later, she'd be forced to accept the Governor's commands, just like every other person in Woodbury. He evidently had no intention of letting her go; regardless of how much she cursed and fought and stumbled in drunk, there was no way that Natalie was getting out. Or at least, there was no easy way.

Despite every strong and stubborn bone in her body, Natalie knew what she had to do if she was to eventually regain her freedom.

* * *

Daryl hated not having control over a situation. Moreover, not being able to do a single thing thoroughly frustrated him. He hated just sitting around, being forced to wait for Natalie to miraculously show up, as opposed to searching for her himself.

This was the real world.

"You're not going to join the others?" Carol asked, joining Daryl where he sat away from the group. When he didn't reply, or look up from his arrows, she knew exactly what was on his mind. "You shouldn't blame yourself."

"She's dead. I know it." Daryl muttered, his back to Carol. "I shoulda never let her go off on her own, but I did and a fuckin' walker probably got to her."

Carol shook her head and crouched down. "You don't know that for sure. Natalie's a strong person; she would've been able to handle herself against a walker."

"Then where the hell did she go, Carol? People don't just disappear." He frowned and hung his head. "Natalie's dead, and it's my fault."


End file.
